JAMES CEAN. American actor James Caan died on July 6, 2022 at the age of 82. Back on the greatest roles of his career.
[Mis à jour le 8 juillet 2022 à 13h58] Hollywood is in mourning. American actor James Caan died on July 6, 2022, his family announced on Twitter. He was 82 years old, and the circumstances surrounding his death have not been specified. “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Jimmy on the evening of July 6, can we read on the social network of the blue bird. His family appreciates your unconditional love and your sincere condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy at this difficult time. End of tweet.”
James Caan was an iconic Hollywood figure. It was revealed in “The Godfather” of Francis Ford Coppola in 1972, playing Sonny Corleone in the hit feature film and its sequel. He is also nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and its equivalent to the Golden Globe for his performance. One of his other big roles is that of the writer kidnapped by Kathy Bates in “Misery”, an adaptation by Rob Reiner of the Stephen King novel released in 1991. We could also see the actor in front of Claude Lelouch’s camera (“Another man, another chance” and “Les Uns et les autres”) or even in “Rollerball” by Norman Jewison in 1975.
Familiar to viewers for his role as nervous Sonny Corleone in the “Godfather” saga (1972-74), a splendid fresco by Francis Ford Coppola, American actor James Caan – born in the Bronx on March 26, 1940 – was one of the great figures of his ambitious cinema of the 1970s and 1980s. Discovered by Billy Wilder (“Irma la douce”, 1963) and Howard Hawks (“Red Line 7000”, “Eldorado”, 1965-1966), filming with Sam Peckinpah (“Elite Killer”, 1975), Richard Attenborough ( “A Bridge Too Far”, 1977) or Robert Altman, he was the virile champion surviving the barbaric rules of “Rollerball” (1975), an astonishing science fiction film by Norman Jewison.
Perpetuating the tradition of a national cinema with broad movements (Warren Beaty, Michael Mann, Steven Spielberg, James Gray), the rough Caan nevertheless allowed himself, in a career of more than 100 films, more intimate biases, under the direction of Claude Lelouch for example (“Another man, another chance”, 1977 then “One and the Other”, 1981). The Dane Lars von Trier paid homage to him by entrusting him with the character of Grace’s father (Nicole Kidman), the devious mafia boss of “Dogville” (2003). James Caan died on July 6, 2022, at age 82.
James Caan was revealed in “The Godfather” by Francis Ford Coppola, released in 1972. He plays Santino “Sonny” Corleone, the eldest son of Vito Corleone but also the most impulsive and violent. He prepares to take over from his father, before his assassination and the meteoric rise of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino). He is also the father of Vincent (Andy Garcia), his illegitimate son, who appears in The Godfather 3. James Caan also plays this role in “The Godfather 2nd part”, released in 1974. For his interpretation of Sonny Corleone, he is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the equivalent Golden Globe in 1973.
One of the roles for which James Caan is known is undoubtedly that which he embodies in “Misery”. In this adaptation of Stephen King’s novel by Rob Reiner, released in 1991, James Caan plays the writer, kidnapped by the terrifying woman played by Kathy Bates.
James Caan is not only a movie actor, he has also starred in several television series. He notably reprized the role of Sonny Corleone in the mini-series The Godfather, released in 1977. Among the most notable is his role in the TV series Las Vegas from 2003 to 2007. He played Ed Deline there. He was also seen in a small role in Hawaii Five-0 (2012) and Magic City (2013). Most recently, from 2013 to 2014, he starred in 13 episodes of Back in the Game as Terry “The Cannon” Gannon Sr. This is his final television role.
James Caan has been married four times. His first wife is actress Dee Jay Mathis. The couple said yes in 1961 and divorced five years later, in 1966. The American actor then had a relationship with Sheila Ryan, whom he married in 1976. They separated a year later. For five years, from 1990 to 1995, James Caan had a relationship with Puerto Rican model Ingrid Hajek, which ended when the interpreter of Sonny Corleone began a romance with actress and designer Linda Stokes, from 1995 to 2009 .